A Clive man was charged with kidnapping Friday after he took his niece from his mother’s Des Moines day care, authorities said.

James Yeah Davies, 29, was charged with second-degree kidnapping of a victim under the age of 18, court records show.

Davies went Thursday to his mother's day care in the 2800 block of Boston Ave near Beaverdale Park in Des Moines, where his niece was cared for with other children, according to a criminal complaint.

There, he took the child without consent after several people tried to stop him, police said. He left without the child's proper clothing or supplies, authorities said.

Davies then drove the child to his residence and refused to give her back to her family, according to charging documents. He drove the girl, unrestrained in the front seat, to Prospect Park and handed her to the first person he saw, police alleged.

After Davies drove away, the girl was “passed off” to other people at the park until they tracked down her family and returned her, according to the complaint.

Davies was booked Thursday night at the Polk County Jail, where he remained Friday on a $25,000 cash bond. He was ordered to have no contact with the minor.

His preliminary hearing was set for Jan. 14. He did not yet have an attorney listed in court records who could be reached for comment.

Read or Share this story: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2019/01/04/police-clive-crime-kidnapping-des-moines-iowa-ia-polk-court-child-daycare-domestic-kidnap-girl-jail/2483072002/